A Florida mom who couldn’t take her kids to school Tuesday morning because her SUV was stolen got her vehicle back just in time for the afternoon pickup. The quick recovery and subsequent arrest were courtesy of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
The mom walked out of her house around 8 a.m., expecting to drive her children to school, only to find her 2021 Volkswagen Atlas SUV missing. She promptly contacted police.
Within hours, deputies identified 17-year-old Joel Izquierdo as the suspect. Notably, Izquierdo lives near the victim and had been arrested for grand theft auto three times in July.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk commended his team, stating, “This was excellent teamwork by our deputies and detectives who quickly identified the suspect, located the stolen vehicle, and made an arrest.”
The deputies tracked down Izquierdo at Lely High School, where he’s a student.
The missing SUV was located in the school’s parking lot. Security footage from the school showed Izquierdo arriving at 6:46 a.m., parking the stolen vehicle, and heading to class.
This marks Izquierdo’s fourth felony arrest for vehicle theft.
Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
